November 25, 2008

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” - Benjamin Franklin

The man who invented bifocals, the odometer, the lightning rod, and hundreds of other items was the personification of doing things a different way every time and certainly never giving up.

If you switch the Franklin quote around slightly you can claim that another definition of insanity is doing different things expecting the same results.

It happens in business all the time. A company is formed and the founders want to revolutionize their industry by introducing new concepts and ideas without realizing - good or bad - that they won’t see the same results as those in their industry.

If it is your wish to thrive in a mainstream don’t take any chances watered down scenario, then put away the spice rack. If you want to shake things up and take chances, go for it! But you can’t have both.

I once worked for a guy who wanted us to constantly do different things but couldn’t understand why we weren’t instantly embraced by the masses. As I’ve said before – if you live on the edge, don’t expect a crowd.

It's interesting to discuss new ideas while embracing integrated media solutions with people. There is a certain point in the conversation when eyes begin to glaze over. Asimov said “the only constant is change” which most of us embrace – in theory. Few want to accept that the way it is won’t always be the way it is.